Memoria Press has been providing Classical Christian Education for All Ages since 1994. I like that it is a family-run company. Recently, I was sent a copy of Second Form Latin Complete Set to review.
We actually did First Form Latin last year, so I was really excited to get the chance to review the Second Form Latin this year. I wasn’t sure if I wanted the boys to do another year of Latin since they weren’t so excited about it last year. But, we only had the book and the audio pronunciation CD.
This time around, we had the entire set which includes:
- Student Text
- Student Workbook
- Teacher Manual
- Quizzes and Tests
- Teacher Key (for
- Pronunciation CD
- Flashcards
- DVDs
Finishing First Form Latin is a must. The first lesson of Second Form Latin is a review of a lot of what was learned in First Form. It then picks up where the first one left off. We are learning the six indicative active and three indicative passive tenses of all four verb conjugations. Also, the five noun declensions (including -er/-ir nouns and i-stem nouns), prepositions, personal pronouns, adjectives (in three declensions), and another 180 new vocabulary words (plus reviewing the 185 from First Form Latin).
The Teacher Manual is similar to the Student Text but has many notes in the margins to help with teaching. Answers are included in a different color. There are “Chalk Talk” sections which provide suggestions for teaching the lesson. Also, there is a recitation schedule and pronunciation reminders.
The Student Text has a total of 31 different lessons. The Student Workbook then provides 4-6 pages of exercises to help reinforce the lessons taught. The boys liked the extra work in the workbook. They said it helped to “stick” the words in their minds instead of just trying to memorize them.
There are 3 DVDs included. The teacher is Glen Moore, who is a former Highlands Latin School teacher. He knows his stuff. We have learned so much already. I wish we had spent the extra to get the DVDs for First Form. Each lesson on the DVD is about 15-20 minutes long. You go through one lesson a week.
We have been watching the lessons on Mondays, and then having the boys do the workbook for the next few days, with the quiz or test on Friday. We’ve also been having a flashcard game to see who can give the correct word first. Sometimes I hold up the English word and other times the Latin word. There is even a little number in the upper left corner of the Latin side to let you know which lesson to find the vocabulary word.
The boys are also required to go through the pronunciation CD a few times throughout the week in order to master the words and phrases.
Positives
Wow! I’ve been very impressed with the DVDs. The teachings allow me to learn the proper pronunciations along with the boys. It was challenging last year to learn everything with just the pronunciation CD.
I also like having the complete answer keys to be able to grade their work. And sometimes I even let them grade their own work.
Negatives
Sometimes the teacher goes a little fast during the recitation, but as he says, this is something that should be learned and be able to rattle it off quickly. It is forcing the boys to practice a little more (which isn’t a bad thing). They don’t particularly like it, but it is helping them.
The boys wished there were more phrases to be able to use in everyday life. They found just learning words a little boring and thought it would be better if the vocabulary words could be used in a sentence or phrase.
Final Thoughts
I highly recommend getting the complete set of Second Form Latin if you are considering teaching your child Latin. It is worth it to have all the additional resources, especially the teaching DVDs. The boys seem to be enjoying taking Latin more this year than they were last year. They are starting to realize how many words we use that have a Latin root.
Latin is just one of the many courses offered by Memoria Press. Check out their website to find out more. They offer full grade packages as well as individual subjects like art, logic, Christian studies, classical studies, spelling, and literature.
